Mexico: What You Should Know About the New National Law to Eliminate Bureaucratic Procedures

On July 16, 2025, the National Law to Eliminate Bureaucratic Procedures was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation. Its main goal is to set the foundations, mechanisms, and processes for simplifying the regulatory burden across all three levels of government, and to promote the digitalization of nearly all administrative procedures.

This law seeks to combat corruption, reduce bureaucratic burdens for individuals and legal entities, and improve efficiency through simplification, standardization, digitalization, and increased evidentiary responsibility by the government.

Background

The law was enacted in response to the limited impact of the General Law on Regulatory Improvement (2018), which failed to achieve uniform implementation, particularly in municipalities with limited institutional and financial capacity. Consequently, a more centralized approach was adopted through a new law with national scope.

Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency

The Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency will be responsible for developing and implementing a single national portal through which public services and procedures will be centralized, thereby facilitating regulatory compliance for citizens and the productive sector.

It will also be tasked with coordinating, supervising, and supporting state and municipal authorities in the implementation of the law.

Key Objectives

• Reduce requirements, procedures, and response times.
• Digitalize most administrative procedures (with exceptions for tax matters and procedures under the jurisdiction of SEDENA and SEMAR).
• Ensure free, accessible, and technically assisted services for individuals in vulnerable situations.
• Strengthening the digital capabilities of the government through training of public servants.

Main Mandatory Measures

The National Model for Eliminating Procedures establishes binding measures, including:

• Prohibition on requiring documents already available in government databases.
• Recognition of equal legal validity for digital copies.
• Consolidation of related procedures.
• Elimination of unnecessary requirements and reduction of processing times.
• Digitalization of procedures only after their simplification.

Additional tools include:

• Simplification Agenda.
• Regulatory impact assessments (ex-ante and ex-post).
• National Registry of Regulations.
• Citizen Portal for tracking and consulting procedures.

National Digitalization Model

This model provides for the implementation of a National Digital Strategy, with a focus on technological integration across the public sector through:

• The Citizen Digital File, a unique repository per individual.
• The LlaveMX platform, a universal access mechanism for digital services.
• The National Public Technology Repository, to promote inter-institutional sharing of technological solutions.

Additionally, a National Citizen Service Model is promoted, characterized by a multichannel, personalized, free, and accessible approach.

Oversight and Compliance

The law provides for a system of certifications as incentives and establishes the National Registry of Visits, intended to increase transparency and oversight of the State’s inspection powers.

It also grants authority to evaluate and, where appropriate, sanction public servants who fail to comply with the law's provisions.

Relevant Transitional Provisions

• Entry into force the day after its publication.
• Repeal of the General Law on Regulatory Improvement (2018).
• Dissolution of the National Commission for Regulatory Improvement.
• Specific timeframes:
  • 30 days to issue guidelines and appoint state liaisons.
  • 90 days to implement the citizen service system.
  • 180 days for states to repeal local laws in this matter.

Final Considerations

• The law centralizes regulatory management through a single national portal, which may facilitate compliance and reduce opportunities for corruption. However, this model requires robust digital infrastructure and effective intergovernmental coordination, the lack of which could generate counterproductive outcomes.
• Significant investment in technological training for public officials is expected, enabling them to develop and implement local solutions. The effectiveness of the state and municipal liaison model, and its ability to manage new regulatory responsibilities, will be critical.
• The law sets forth 24 guiding principles for the delivery of public services, including person-centered service, citizen trust and good faith, interoperability, and technological neutrality. It also prioritizes cybersecurity, equivalence between physical and digital formats, and transparency and free access in the handling of administrative procedures, aiming for a more accessible, efficient, and citizen-centered administration.
• Implementation timelines are highly ambitious given the current level of digitalization in many subnational governments, posing a risk of delays or inefficiencies.
• The law incorporates modern principles of digital governance and guarantees gratuity of services. However, the main challenge will be implementing these principles without excluding populations lacking reliable access to digital technologies, particularly historically marginalized communities.
• One expected outcome is the creation of a unique digital file for each individual, centralized within a national registry. The protection of private and sensitive data will be a major challenge and risk for public administration.

Additional Challenges

• Possible regulatory inconsistencies in the early years, due to attempts to standardize procedures with locally specific characteristics.
• Difficulties during the transition of existing procedures to the new framework.
• Lack of detailed operational guidelines outlining specific obligations and penalties, creating temporary legal uncertainty.
• The ability of each authority to adapt considering existing workloads and institutional delays in processing administrative matters.